Fire extinguisher



Mardi 13, 1945- J'. sPlLLANE 2,371,364

FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Dec. 2B, 1842 Patented Mar. 13, 1945 UNITED STATES FIRE EXTINGUISHER James Spillane, Los Angeles, Calif. Application December 28, 1942, Serial No. 470,351

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for extinguishing res, and, while the invention may be practised for extinguishing indoor or outdoor res, in the following specification an adaptation is described of the invention employed for extinguishing forest, brush, or grain iield res. Every year` millions of dollars in values are lost by reason of such uncontrollable fires.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide fire extinguishing apparatus that will Abe brought automatically into operation by dropping the same onto the ground or a floor.

The apparatus includes a container for the extinguishing uid, or fluids, and means for `distributing the extinguisher fluid; and one of my objects is to provide means for normally c-cniining the uid so as to enable the container to be shipped or carried, but operating in such a way that the uid will be automatically liberated to the distributing means as soon as the container is dropped adjacent the iire.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguisher having a container adapted to be dropped from a point above a brush fire,

forest re, or grain field fire, having means for insuring that it will light on the ground and hold itself in an upright position so as to facilitate eflicie'nt operation of the distributing means for the extinguisher uid.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

'Ihe invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an eiiicient ire extinguisher. y

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims. f

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a fire extinguisher embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a closure, partly broken away, that may be employed for retaining the fire extinguisher fluid or compound within the container.

In practising the invention to produce an extinguisher for an outdoor nre, I employ a container l that m-ay consist of a cylinder that is capable of resisting considerable internal pressure. For this purpose, I may employ a piece of iron pipe with a head 2 welded into it, and provided' with a removable screw cap 3.

This container is intended to be dropped from aloft from an aeroplane flying over the re, and is provided with means enabling it to light in a sub-` tanti-ally upright position and maintain itself in that position while discharging the re extinguishing iiuid, iiuids, or compound.

For this purpose, the cap 3 may be provided with a post Il, preferably'supporting a tubular extension 5 that supports a small retarder 6, giving the 'effect of an umbrella or parachute to maintain the top end uppermost as the container falls. A long spur or spear 'l fastened in the bottom head becomes impaled in the earth below the ground level indicated by the line 8. This spear may be threaded through an ordinary nut 9 welded onto the bottom head 2.

The tube 5 is secured in a Y-tting l0 screwed onto post 4 that cooperates with an inclined pipe l l to form a duct for conducting the extinguisher fluid to a distributor nozzle IZ-preferably in the form of a rotary sprinkler head or Barkers mill that rotates itself by the reaction of the streams issuing from backwardly turned tips I4. This nozzle is mounted on a swivel connection, preferably in the form of a ball bearing l5. Any kind of a centrifugal nozzle can be employed for'this purpose. This type of nozzle has the advantage that it will throw a spray toa considerable distance so as to affect a considerable zone of the nre. The tips I4 preferably incline upwardly to 4increase the range of the spray.

Communication from the interior of the container to the nozzle is normally closed through the medium of a valve or closure, so mounted that it will automatically admit the duid tothe nozzle when pressure develops withinthe container. In

other words, the closure is pressure-controlled.

For this purpose, I provide an uptake pipe |76 that leads up from a point near the bottom of the container, with its upper'end secured in a valve chest l1 that is attached to the upper head 3 of the container. This valve may be of any suitable construction so that it is opened automatically by the pressure, and in the present instance it consists of a plug I8. This closure or plug is seated tight in the lower end of the chest l1, and' preferably carries a stem 'ISthatis guided to the outside through a hole in the 'upper end of the.

chest, and has a handle or knob'Z for operating it The upper end of the uptake pipe -IB may be threaded into a nut 2| welded tothe underside of the top head 3. When pressurev develops in the container, this pressurerblows out vthe plug valve I8, lodging it in the upper end of the chest and thereby opening communicationv through a Y-port 22 into the pipe Il.

Any suitable means may be provided for developing the pressure in the container. For this purpose, I prefer to provide two separated elements thatl will react when mixed, todev elop pressure and at the same time form an extinguisher uid or compound. In the present instance, I substantially fill the container with a water solution of sodium bicarbonate, and support a quantity of acid, such as sulphuric acid, in such a, way that a frangible retaining member will break when the container strikes, thereby mixing these ingredients.

In this way, carbon dioxide gas is generated, that is, the water becomes carbonated water and CO2 gas rises to the space under the head, thereby forcing the carbonated Water up the uptake pipe and blowing out, the valve I8 to deliver the carbonated water to the sprinkler head.

The sulphuric acid is preferably carried in a frangibie glass bottle 23 held in an adjustable bracket 24- clamped on the uptake pipe it, the bottom of .the bottle resting. or substantially resting on the upper end of a stem la that extends up from the upper end of the spear. When the spear 1 strikes the ground, the impact forces the stem 'la upward sufficiently to break the bottle 23. The bottle is preferably well immersed in the bicarbonatesolution so as to insure a quick and thorough dispersion of the acid through the bicarbonate solution.

In order to assist in keeping the container with its axis substantially vertical as it falls. and also to increase accuracy in its fall tc the target, I may provide vanes 25 on the upper head 3 having slight pitch. These vanes preferl ably project to or beyond the edge of the head, and the passing slip stream, of air during the descent striking against them wili give sufcient rotation to the container to accomplish this.

The mouth of the uptake pipe may be provided With a hood 26 of wire gauze to prevent any broken glass from passing up.

The bottle 23, of course, has a permanent closure 21 that is impervious to the acidy within the bottle.

The edges of the parachute may be held down if desired by guy Wire braces 28 that may be attached to the varies 25.

The threads of the rod or spear 'l may extend all the way down to its vtapered. point. This facilitates removal of the device from a log that might be struck, or -from hard ground by rotating it on its axis.

A union 4a. is provided in the post 4 for facili` tating the assembly of the post and its connections.

In the operation of this extinguisher', the carbonated water is of course dispersed over a large area due to the centrifugal force developed by the rotary sprinkler. This water rapidly gives oi carbon dioxide gas that blankets the fire and excludes the air that would support the combustion. It also Wets down a large area to reduce its inflammabili-ty.

Many other embodiments of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

-1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container adapted to contain a water solution, a second container of a frangible character contained within the rst container and adapted to confine a second solution which upon mixing with the iirst fluid will form a gas to produce pressure within the first container, a spear carried by the first container and adapted to be embedded in a surface on the dropping of the device and when so embedded to maintain the rst container in upright position, means between the spear and the second container and operable to break the second container upon impact ci the spear with the surface whereby the second solution is released, a sprinkler device carried at the end of the container opposite the spear, and a valved conduit connecting the first container with the sprinkler to conduct the solution through the sprinkler under the pressure ci the gas developed in the container.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container adapted to contain a water solution of an alkali carbonate, a second container mounted within the iirst container and adapted to contain a solution of an acid which, upon mixing with the rst solution, will form a gas to produce a pressure Within the container, a spear carried by the container and adapted to be embedded in a surface on the dropping of the device and when so embedded to maintain the first container in an upright position, means between the spear and the second container and operable to release the acid from the second container upon impact of the spear with the said surface, a sprinkler carried by the container, a conduit connecting the sprinkler with the interior of the nrst container for conducting the solution under pressure to the sprinkler.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container adapted to contain a water solution of an alkali carbonate, a second container mounted within the first container and adapted to contain a solution of an acid which, upon mixing with the first solution, will form a gas to produce a pressure within the container, a spear carried by the container and adapted to be embedded in a surface on the dropping of 'the device and when so embedded to maintain the first container inan upright position, means between the spear and the second container and operable to release the acid from the second container upon impact of the spear with the said surface, a sprinkler carried by the container, a conduit connecting the sprinkler with the interior of the first container for conducting the solution under pressure to the sprinkler, and a releasable valve means mounted in the conduit and adapted to open under the pressure of the gas withtn the container to permit flow of the solution from the container to the sprinkling device.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container adapted to contain a water solution of an alkali carbonate, a second container adapted to enclose an acid mounted within the first container, a spear carried by the rst container and adapted to be embedded in a surface on the dropping of the device and when so embedded to maintain the first container in an upright position, means between the spear and the second container and operable to release the acid from the second container upon impact of the spear with the surface, a sprinkler device,

carried by the container, a conduit connecting the interior of the container with the sprinkling device for delivery of liquid from the interior of the container to the sprinkling device, and means carried by the container adapted to aid in the maintaining of the device in upright position when dropped.

JAMES SPILLANE. 

